AP File PhotoLandon Ferraro was selected by the Detroit Red Wings with the 32nd overall pick in the 2009 draft.

DETROIT -- After spending a good portion of last season on the injured list and in his coach's doghouse, Detroit Red Wings prospect Landon Ferraro is eager for a fresh start and some redemption.

He wants to return to being the player with second-line NHL potential the Red Wings picked with the 32nd overall pick in the 2009 draft.

He also wants to put behind a disappointing and turbulent season with his junior team, Red Deer.

"I just need to make sure I get my body in the best shape it can be going into training camp," Ferraro said during Red Wings development camp at Joe Louis Arena. "I need to have a good start, get the ball rolling early in the season.

"That starts now with my training. I picked it up this summer. I feel a lot stronger. I made strides. On the ice, I feel more powerful. I just want to make sure I get going early."

Ferraro is poised for a breakthrough season. Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill said the young player had a strong development camp.

Where the skilled center will play hasn't been determined. After three full seasons with Red Deer, the Rebels agreed to trade him to another Western Hockey League team before the season in a mutually beneficial move.

Ferraro's falling out with his coach, former Red Wings defenseman Jesse Wallin, started early last season.

He injured his knee in the second game of the season and missed 19 games. He came back too soon and drew the wrath Wallin, who thought he wasn't playing hard enough.

Ferraro's season then ended on a sour note. He went scoreless in three playoff games and was a healthy scratch in the finale as he watched his team get swept in the first round by Saskatoon.

He does not want to be perceived as a difficult player to coach.

"Even at the end of the year, when me and Jesse had a bit of problems, we ended on a good note," Ferraro said. "We sat down and talked.

"It's not something where I want Red Deer to do poorly or Jesse to lose his job. I respect him. He's treated me well the last couple of years. It's just that from a business standpoint, it's time to move on."

Ferraro said the chance to play for his hometown team, the WHL's Vancouver Giants, "would be awesome." But it's out of his hands.

The important thing is the knee, which sustained two meniscus tears and some damage to the medial collateral ligament.

"I tried coming back early and it wasn't the best thing for it," Ferraro said. "Now, I rehabbed it and I've been strengthening it. It feels as good as ever. I feel stronger than I was. I feel like I'm making strides again."

The Red Wings were attracted by Ferraro's skills and pedigree. He has terrific speed, good hands and a knack for finding the right spots on the ice to score goals. Much of his natural ability comes from his father, Ray, who scored 408 goals in 18 NHL seasons.

"He's got good stick skills at high speed," Nill said. "He's competitive for a smaller guy (6-foot, 171 pounds). He goes to the net."

Ferraro led Red Deer in scoring in 2008-09 with 37 goals and 18 assists in 68 games. He set up more goals than he scored last season, with 16 goals and 30 assists in 53 games.

He turns 19 on Aug. 8 and has plenty of time to develop during his final season of junior hockey. After that comes the Grand Rapids Griffins, who he played two games with last season on an amateur tryout contract.

"When something doesn't go right for two or three months, you start to doubt yourself," Nill said. "You get injured and never get going. Your confidence takes a hit.